My Favorite Cookbooks

One thing you probably already know about me is that I have quite the collection of cookbooks. I know I can find recipes online with the swipe of a finger. But there’s something about holding one of my favorite cookbooks in my hands, flipping through the pages… well trying to, because let’s be honest… they’re often stuck together with oats and syrup. But I just love my cookbooks.

To start with, and I’m sure this will be shocking to y’all, but I have all of the Pioneer Woman’s cookbooks. And I LOVE them all. And you know what? I get her new ones whenever they come out as well, because I’m obsessed!

Why is anything and everything by the Pioneer Woman on my favorite cookbooks list? Because her cookbooks are BEAUTIFUL. Her pictures are gorgeous, her stories are hilarious, and every time I look through her cookbooks, it just makes me happy! And I genuinely love her recipes. I haven’t tried a single one of her recipes that we didn’t all really love.

People ask me often, if I had to pick just one, which of the Pioneer Woman’s Cookbooks is the best?

I think Dinnertime is the best. Comfort Classics, Freezer Food, 16-Minute Meals, and Other Delicious Ways to Solve Supper. What’s not to love?! My second favorite would be her first cookbook The Pioneer Woman Cooks because… her cinnamon rolls are in it. My least favorite is Year of Holidays, but only because some of the recipes are for things I’m never going to make, like Asparagus with dill hollandaise. But I still enjoy the stories and the pictures.

I am totally obsessed with Sourdough baking; it’s my new thing. I made it years ago, but then my kids quit eating it and said they didn’t like it. I think that might have been my fault! But now since we’re doing really well at getting them to try new foods, I figured I’d give it a try again. I want them to eat sourdough too because the health benefits are awesome! But yes I’ve really been obsessed and I read these two books in 3 days. I couldn’t put them down! Instead of going to bed like I should have, I stayed up too late reading!

My mom gave this cookbook to me as a wedding gift. I’ve used it often since then. It’s a great basic cookbook for when you’re first starting out because it’s just full of lots of helpful information on kitchen tools and gadgets as well as 1,000 tried and true recipes for everything from meatloaf to honey dijon dressing. And because it was a wedding gift, this one definitely has some sentimental value too!

Wouldn’t it be weird if I didn’t cook from my own cookbooks all the time? And I do use these ALL the time. They are both crock pot cookbooks that use from minimally processed, semi-whole food ingredients. They are full of poorganic recipes!

This is a great clean-eating cookbook that is full of simple healthy recipes. It’s super cheap on Amazon right now too like $6 for the hardback book! It’s got beautiful pictures. And she has really great muffin recipes. I’ve made a few of her slow cooker recipes too. My favorite is her Chicken and Corn Chowder. So good, y’all.

This is an e-book that I bought and printed because I don’t like e-books. My trick is that I always print them and get them bound myself. Mandi from Life Your Way is awesome. She’s got tons of great resources on her blog! And her cookbook Easy Homemade is full of healthy, homemade, party staples. Because I try to avoid processed foods as much as possible, I appreciate that this cookbook gives me tips on how to make my own pantry staples like sauces, spice mixes, butter, ketchup, bread crumbs, stock and more!

There’s no other way to put it – you NEED these in your life! I would never lie to you. If you asked me to pick one out of the list of my favorite cookbooks that you HAVE TO HAVE, it would be Jessica Fisher’s Good Cheap Eats Dinner in 30 Minutes or Less. I am not exaggerating about how good this cookbook is. It’s one of my favorite cookbooks of all time.

I love her recipe for Hands-Free Cashew Chicken. Her Better Than Big Mac Burgers and Taco Joes are out of this world. All her chili recipes are so good. Stovetop Mac & Cheese, Homemade Chicken Tenders, Biscuit Pizzas, Pepperoni Pizzadillas, Vegetable Soup… are you getting the idea? LOL – and I could keep going! Like I said, if you have to get just one – Good Cheap Eats Dinner in 30 Minutes or Less it!

This is my favorite pressure cooker cookbook. I have a stovetop pressure cooker, but this is cookbook is written for an instant pot. It does have some recipes that have processed food ingredients, but do you throw the baby out with the bath water? NO. But you can substitute a processed food ingredient like Velveeta for cheddar cheese and have a great healthy recipe.

This is another one of Jessica Fisher’s cookbooks. It’s got 200 recipes for breakfast, lunch and dinner. But they aren’t the old-fashioned casserole style freezer meals we’re used to. She puts a modern spin on her recipes with yummy dishes like Six-Layer Nachos, Not Your Convenience Store’s Frozen Burritos, Lawnmower Tacos, Lemon and Honey Flax Waffles, Confetti Chili. And all these recipes can be prepared to enjoy right away or she gives detailed instructions on storing them in your freezer.

These are all three written by the same author. I use the simple Red Bread Becker’s Cookbook the most and it will cost you less than $10 shipped. But in the very front of the Ground Flour Cookbook, there are really helpful descriptions of the different grains with details and properties. The Homemade Flour Cookbook is newer to me, and I like it because it has pictures. In case I haven’t mentioned that yet today, most of my favorite cookbook have great pictures. I mean for real, some of the pictures make me drool.

This is another great cookbook about cooking real food that I love. But I really like cookbooks that are for real food, but some can be intense and make you feel like a failure. This one is encouraging without being overwhelming. She has great instructions for everything from fermenting foods and bone broth to amazon eggs casserole and healthier desserts. I don’t do paperbacks, so I did take this to Office Depot to be bound so I could open it flat.

I love these cookbooks and everyone always asks me if I have read her blog. And y’all, I wish I could say yes, but I just don’t have time to sit down and read a blog. I just don’t have the time to do it. But I love relaxing and reading some of my favorite cookbooks! Both of her cookbooks are awesome. Her real food rules and tips are super helpful and she’s got some delicious recipes too! There’s a macaroni casserole and spaghetti and meatballs that are fantastic.

Well…that’s the list of my favorite cookbooks! My collection is huge! Some I love because they are beautiful and they just make me happy to look at. Some I hang on to because they are sentimental to me, but I may not use very often. And then there are the cookbooks that I use every day!

Now it’s your turn! What’s your favorite cookbook?

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About Stacy

Stacy is a Home Management Mentor, the author of two cookbooks, the creator of why-didn’t-I-think-of-that homemaking hacks, an expert on making real food taste lip-smacking delicious, and a Platinum Leader with Young Living Essential Oils. She loves butter, dessert, baking, organizing, and staying home with her husband and four hilarious kids. She believes if it's not easy, you won't do it - because she's lived it. She'll bring YOU the awesome so that you can get your home back into control. For tips and easy strategies, you can follow her on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram.

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the content above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase an item, I may receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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Mennonite Country style recipes. by Esther Shank. This book is my favorite!!!!! I don’t make a LOT of recipes out of here. BUT if you like to read cookbooks, this is it! I bought this when Iwas single and on my own. I learned a LOT!!! and I still love to read it. I also use living more with less by Doris Longacre. My mom cooked almost everynight from that cookbook. It’s older but I also love to read it. And our church’s original cookbook from 1980’s is a great one too. I also LOVE the blog/website Heavenly Homemakers. she has easy simple poorganic food too! I also LOVE LOVE the cake mix doctor cookbooks. (Ann Bryn) I often make cakes from scratch, but I love some of her recipes and combo’s! and some books have a whole history of cakes. Who wouldn’t want to read that?Those are my most current ones.

I believe God created you to be the hero of your home. You CAN manage your home instead of it managing you. That’s why I empower women with simple solutions for their homemaking needs – because if it’s not easy, you won’t do it. {Read More…}

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